Gorilla Trekking For the Seniors, Elderly, and The Disabled
The thought of clocking 60, 70 or 80 years is something usually taken with immense fear or apprehension for a number of reasons. The society we live in has been fundamental in promoting youthfulness as the ultimate end to enjoying life and adventure. In most cases, we want to hustle and make money in our twenties, to save for retirement. On getting older, it becomes difficult to achieve some activities of our dreams, gorilla trekking being one of them.
When searching for the ideal Holidays, most seniors choose to undertake less strenuous adventures like cruise vacations, game drives and simply relaxing at secluded Islands. This is possibly because such activities aren’t physically demanding, in addition to offering relaxation as well as fun. It will surprise you that seniors can actually enjoy gorilla trekking adventures in Uganda, Rwanda or the Democratic Republic of Congo. Who said you can’t track the mountain gorillas as a senior?
gorilla trekking for the disabled
How seniors can track the mountain gorillas in their natural habitat?
Hiring a porter
One of the ways to make gorilla trekking for seniors more successful is by hiring a porter, who will be helpful in carrying their backpack or offering a hand while walking through the jungles. Most of these porters are reformed poachers who are trying to find an alternative source of livelihood beyond hunting wildlife. Besides, they are born and raised within villages around the Protected Areas hence familiar with the Park’s terrains and making your trekking experience easier as well as more memorable.
Tracking nearer/ or easier habituated gorilla families
Mountain gorillas are generally mobile animals that wander around their natural habitats but there are some habituated gorilla families that are considered easier, moderate, and difficult to trek. Therefore for the seniors, the Park Ranger can allocate you to the easier trek families like Mubare and Habinyanja families in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (Buhoma sector), Sabyinyo and Kwitonda gorilla families in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park.
Reducing drive time/opting for bush flights
Have you ever wondered why some travelers will insist and opt for gorilla trekking in Rwanda regardless of how expensive (at $1500) gorilla permits are? One of the simple reasons is the shorter drive time (two and a half to three hours) from Kigali International Airport/City compared to Uganda’s 8-9 hours’ drive time from Entebbe or Kampala City. It’s hard to picture a 70-year-old sitting for that long time and to make his/her gorilla trekking tour more memorable, Maranatha Tours and Travel always recommends bush flights that take only one and a half hours (to 2 hours depending on the routing). These domestic flights are costly but worthwhile because they save elderly travelers the stress of sitting almost a full day trying to connect to the Protected Areas.
Book for a more convenient accommodation
Like it is with driving time between the Airport and National Parks, it is always advisable to book accommodation facilities that aren’t very far from the trailhead/Park Headquarters. Why would you book an 80-year-old accommodation in Buhoma and track mountain gorillas in the Ruhija sector, which is over one hour’s drive away? Gorilla trekking for the seniors is more memorable when they stay at Safari Lodge close to the Park Headquarters.
Tracking mountain gorillas on sedan chairs
Even after securing an easier-to-track gorilla family, you might want to hire a sedan chair because it is not always a guarantee that the gorillas won’t move deeper into the forest. A sedan chair goes for $350 to $400 per person per trek and is lifted by four able-bodied porters. With this, you won’t be worried about hiking steep slopes, walking through dense vegetation, and jumping through streams on your own.